Monday, February 03, 2014

Woody Allen Denies Sexual Assault Allegations - Cate Blanchett Speaks

Yesterday, Woody Allen's rep said that Woody Allen would soon respond personally to the allegations that Dylan Farrow sexually assaulted her when she was seven years old. Meanwhile, his rep said , "Mr. Allen has read the article and found it untrue and disgraceful. He will be responding very soon." I'm wondering if he will ever respond. The only thing he can do is slam Mia Farrow because he is going to look even more like a jerk if he slams Dylan for something she believed happened to her at the age of seven.

Even though no charges were ever filed against Woody, the court did order that he could no longer visit her. When asked about Dylan's letter Cate Blanchett had this to say. "It's obviously been a long and painful situation for the family and I hope they find some resolution and peace." Well, she pretty much said nothing and no one asked she a followup question. I bet she is worried about winning the Academy Award for Blue Jasmine and having a hundred reporters asking her about it backstage after she wins.

Woody spent the afternoon of the firestorm at a Knicks game and left early in the 4th quarter so he wouldn't have to be confronted by any reporters.

54 comments:

Kourtney Kardashian said...

Alec Baldwin gave a non answer as well. Really though, what would you expect them to say?
These are actors who don't want to get in the middle of a very dicey situation.
Do what you do and do it well, when you don't have all the facts keep your mouth shut.
That's what I was raised to believe.

auntliddy said...

One of the most pathetic but true things enty wrote is about cate blanchet. Nope, she doesnt want to bothered by these questions on her possible big night. She's an artist, she has to follow her muse. Bullshit. Have some scruples!

TalksTooMuch said...

This just seems too heavy for a gossip blog.

Kelly said...

Yeah exactly. What are the stars of Blue Jasmine supposed to say? I just feel so bad for Dylan.

LottaColada said...

I wouldn't expect her to say much about it, she's smart.

surfer said...

I agree, Lotta.

audrey said...

Seriously, what do you expect her to say? She didn't witness anything, and it's not like Woody Allen would have sat down between filming and poured his heart out to her about his personal life. She is trying to be professional about something which she has no information about. Yes I know that the allegations aren't recent but that doesn't mean everyone knew about them.

Now! said...

Here's my prediction: the next person we will hear from will be Moses Farrow.

Is this huge sh*tstorm really what's best for Dylan and for other abuse survivors?

12-Inch Chewbacca said...

The whole event was timed to cause maximum disruption for Blue Jasmine once the early awards focused on BlueJas as an Oscar contender.

I can't imagine anything WA can say to defuse this situation.

Bet he thought this was all behind him...

Simon said...

Even though he wasn't prosecuted, there had to be something to the fact the judge wouldn't allow him any visitation rights with Dylan. Bet he doesn't come out and say anything about it.

Dandy said...

This should have been dealt with in the courts. I'm not sure if Mia decided not to or the investigators did not find enough evidence. I don't know why it was not pursued. But, I was surprised that The New York Times published that letter. Are they the new TMZ? Are they that desperate for readers? Who does Mia know at the Times? The Daily Beast did a follow up on this question, written by someone who did a documentary on Allen. Lots of surprising facts-for example Mia was about the same age difference between Mia and Frank Sinatra as Soon Yi and Woody, and that Mia's brother is a convicted pedophile, now serving 10 years in prison. Also, she gave permission for her images to be used in the recent film tributes to Allen, and she has publicly supported Roman Polanski. There's no question in my mind that Polanski should have done jail time. She seems to support these filmmakers when it has to do with her career. (She starred in Polanski's Rosemary's Baby) I feel sorry for Dylan. I don't know what did or did not happen with Allen, but I think she has a very manipulative woman for a mother, and an angry, publicity hungry one at that. You can find it via google.

Cleodacat said...

Even the news is hedging on Woody's side. HLN this morning made it a point to say that the allegations were first layed against him when Woody and Mia first seperated. So sad for Dylan if true. Most abuse victims usually will wiait until they feel safe before they speak and always fear that no one will believe them. The fact that it corresponds to something big occuring in Woody's life is not just an opportune moment to malign him but something that also probably stoked her anger at him for doing what he did.

Kristin Wigs said...

The DA said they had enough evidence to prosecute him but ultimately the family didn't want to put Dylan through the trial. And probably a very public one at that. She has spoken out about what happened a few times as she has gotten older and her story hasn't changed. I would imagine seeing her (alledged) abuser being celebrated throughout award season and the Golden Globes stirred up the memories.

__-__=__ said...

This is classic. Glad Dylan, or Malone, called him out. I don't think his previous wives knew what was happening. WA will never accept any responsibility. He's positively glib about all of it. Considering his marriage and relationship history I cannot believe his relationship with Soon Yi "started" when she was 19. He's a very talented and very sick person. He's classic. We all probably know someone like him. Feel bad for the adopted kids, who are teenagers now. WA has to be ready for a new relationship. The heart wants what it wants. That's a quote.

12-Inch Chewbacca said...

I wondered about "why now?" also. I think it's a combination of Dylan is strong enough now and then the "lifetime achievement" award at the GGs. Add to that Satchel, er-uh, Ronan's climbing media star and the timing just crystallized.

Shotinthedark said...

It's a complete mess. It should've been dealt with at the time, but if there's not enough evidence, what can you do? Leave your child as bait, so you can get enough evidence?

A friend of s friend has just outed her step-father as molesting her since about the same age as Dylan. She too is also now in her 30's with 2 gorgeous, wonderful kids and a supportive husband. She said she only felt strong enough now to confront those demons and that she needed to expose him for what he was as part of her healing process. Maybe with all the renewed interest in WA, Dylan felt the time had come - she isn't a little child anymore who wouldn't be believed and he's getting enough exposure because of BJ that the mud might stick this time. I hope it does.

The Beast Article was written by a friend of WA's so isn't neutral by any means, but if MF did support Polanski, then she too should face some serious questioning about it.

Shotinthedark said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Angela said...

Moses Farrow is now estranged from Mia and has already mentioned to the media that his days at her house were "brainwashing." He has actually met Allen and Soon-Yi a few times.

You should all read the op ed by a guy who worked on a Woody Allen documentary:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/27/the-woody-allen-allegations-not-so-fast.html

When she publicly slammed Allen for child molestation and Hollywood for hypocrisy after the honorary Golden Globe, Farrow had approved that some footage of her would be featured in the reel that was shown that night.
Farrow is still great friends with Roman Polanski (who launched her film career with Rosemary's Baby) and hasn't commented on the fact that her own brother has been sentenced to 25 years for child molestation. And Mia Farrow is no saint herself. She broke up the marriage of André and Dory Previn (who had then to be institutionalized and submitted to EST) and she now claims that Frank Sinatra may be the real father of Ronan, while he was supposedly conceived in the middle of a domestic bliss between Allen and her. And at a time Sinatra had already remarried.

The incident between Allen and Dylan would have taken place in the middle of his separation with Mia, at her own place. It was three months after the affair with Soon-Yi had been revealed, and the mood was quite icy. It seems quite weird that Allen would find the time to escape the various family members and nannies to go to the attic to commit his worst crime ever on a child just in the middle of a battle for child custody. Robert Weide's guess is that Farrow taught Dylan this story and that, as many 7-year-old would do, is still convinced it is true, which would still be a tragedy given the effect it had on her.

Allen can be quite the asshole. He had an affair with a 17-year-old actress (Stacey Nelkin) that became the inspiration for Manhattan. He had an affair with the adopted daughter of his longtime partner when she was 19, and shows no remorse for it. But it isn't in line with the modus operandi of usual child abusers. Between a barely legal woman or a 17-year-old teenager and a 7-year-old girl whom he had adopted, there's a big gulf. And nothing in Allen's life, before or after the "incident" supports the theory that he's attracted to small children. Allen and Soon-Yi were allowed to adopt, as a couple, two daughters and the daughters have turned into totally normal teenagers, without any sign that their relationship with Allen has been inappropriate in any way.

Meanwhile, Farrow only has kind words towards Frank Sinatra (who most likely ordered a few hits thanks to his connections to the mob), never mentions her brother, and has adopted something like 14 kids, even naming one of them after the judge who gave her a favorable verdict in her case against Allen.
Or at least remember that everything in this situation opposes a bunch of mentally imbalanced people. And in a fight between, let's say, Margot Kidder and Gary Busey, it would be difficult to take sides.

Shotinthedark said...

P.S. I agree wholeheartedly with auntliddy - if you don't want to be put in an awkward situation, have some scruples and don't put yourself there in the first place!!

Kels said...

Classy Cate. At least she said something.

__-__=__ said...

Or at least remember that everything in this situation opposes a bunch of mentally imbalanced people.

And that is exactly what this is about! Thanks Angela!!

audrey said...

The thing with Hollywood is there are so many unscrupulous perverts working under the guise of directors, and producers and writers and actors that to say something against one, is pretty much guaranteeing you never work again. It is the good old boy networking that just keeps reinforcing itself.

KLM said...

Doesn't it seems disrespectful to your readers to publish such horribly written, mistake-filled posts?

So Dylan Farrow sexually assaulted her? Who exactly, because I thought she was the one who was sexually assaulted. The first sentence makes no sense. Also, I love, "...no one asked she a followup question." WTF?

Anonymous said...

I wonder... I actually sit down and think about the times Soon Yi was a child. his adopted but a child. you sit down with me for a second and think your daughter will marry her adoption dad. yes. that kid he took care off for years. school runs. education. christmases.. ecc. that DAD married your daughter. took pictures of her naked before anyone found out about their relationship. if you sat down and became as sad as me now, than you know the answer.

KhloeK said...

Preach sis!

Basil said...

I lost all respect for Woody when he married his lovers daughter. True, Mia and Woody were never married, and he may have never seen the girl all that much, but Mia and Woody DID have children together which makes Soon a step-daughter. Who looks at their girlfriends children and thinks possible relationship? There are just some people in the world that are off limits, if not legally, then at least morally. As for Dylan, whatever really happened, she certainly believes it happened. So she is the real victim here.

Angela said...

Allen and Farrow never shared a roof. They lived in different apartments in different parts of Manhattan and neurotic Allen never stayed overnight at her place.
Soon-Yi was the adopted daughter of Mia Farrow and André Previn, and Allen never exercised any guardianship responsibilities over her. His affair with her was definitely gross and indelicate, but she didn't view him as a father figure, just her adopted mom's boyfriend, and the fact is that they have been married for 17 years (much longer than the time Allen dated Farrow), without her being replaced by a "younger" model. This isn't Roman Polanski territory.

The Dylan stuff is, of course, disgusting and in an entirely different league. I agree with Basil on this one. She's the real victim. She does believe it happened that way. Her brother Ronan also believes her story. But I wouldn't put it below Mia Farrow to hate her former partner so much for sleeping with her barely legal adopted daughter that she still wants to destroy his reputation two decades later, using her own children as weapons.

AKM said...

"Is this huge sh*tstorm really what's best for Dylan and for other abuse survivors?"

No. Absolutely NOT. But she, her mother, and her brother just keep talking. By all means, talk at a survivors' rally, talk to your therapist, talk to each other in family therapy...but stay the hell off of Twitter or the NYT. With every tweet or open letter, you're just letting him know that he lives in your head rent-free, whether he did this in fact or not.

The whole Mia-Ronan-Dylan M.O. just reminds me of the friend on Facebook that we all have who broadcasts everything about her business, while we're cringing and thinking that it makes her look like a loose cannon and tends to destroy her credibility (especially if she starts calling out folks who have NOTHING to do with the issue). It's not at all that I think that they shouldn't talk about it, but rather that they're going about it in an entirely damaging way.

auntliddy said...

-_=_=~you nailed it.

auntliddy said...

Thanks, shotindark!!

auntliddy said...

Akm, disagree. Dylan's story is hers to tell, whenever and however she wants. Doesnt make it true or untrue but she owns her life and her story. Absolutely she wants to disrupt his award, which, by the way, WA cld care less about.

msgirl said...

Hmmm just read that Moses, now a family therapist, claims that Mia's household was one big brainwashing place.

Like I said on Friday, whatever happened and I really have no clue, Dylan is a victim.

Tyler said...

I think that her trying to drag unrelated acting professionals into a very private family matter that occured decades ago in such a high profile publc manner is highly inappropriate.

Regardless of what occurred to her, targeting people who had nothing to do with it in a bitter and vengeful vendetta is just plain wrong.

Amartel said...

Cate did the right thing.
I guess we're going to find out if one of the great filmmakers can be brought down by a whisper campaign initiated by a deranged ex-wife. (And please note before you start screeching: This comment is not a comment on guilt or innocence of Woody Allen.)

califblondy said...

Great info Angela. I think there's a whole lot of crazy on both sides.

childeroland said...

Scruples about what? She doesnt know what happened.

msgirl said...

It's worth noting that at the time Woody passed a lie detector test while Dylan's story was found inconsistent.

I don't think any of us knows what happens and can't pass judgement. It most definitely could have happened, or it could have been planted in Dylan's mind.

I don't have a problem with actors working with him because he does do good work, and again, we really don't know.

Penny Lane said...

He wasn't her adopted Dad.Cant stand him,but let us not rewrite history.

Andre Previn is Soon Yi'd adoptive parent.Even Mia admits Woody barely knew Soon Yi and saw her only a few times before she was 15.She actually encouraged them forming a platonic relationship.Woody started taking her out to sporting events and obviously more eventuated.But,he was never her parental figure.

Penny Lane said...

Soon Yi's

CanadianMiss said...

This poor girl was violated either way. Either her step father violated her body, or her own mother violated her mind to believe he did.
Hurts my heart that this crap can happen to anyone.

El Naro said...

Angela, you are stepping into some pretty indelicate, gross territory yourself.

"His affair with her was definitely gross and indelicate, but she didn't view him as a father figure, just her adopted mom's boyfriend."

Many adoptees are sexually violated because they aren't seen as "full" children or "blood" relations by those who adopt them. It is a sad consequence of old thinking of what family is and we are very vulnerable to it. It has been difficult enough to be accepted as full children legally and in society, let alone within families. We are just starting to see adoptees speak about their experience, demand rights and start challenging the many stereotypes that persist about us. Thus, I find your minimizing a bit scary. You seem to be towing this old line again - Adopted people aren't really part of the family - not blood relations, right?
I am sure you are ignorant of the adoptee experience and the terrible history of baby theft and selling. However, I think you should be very careful in your defense of Mr. Allen and not bring up issues for adoptees.

auntliddy said...

Childer-take a position. Mabe you dont work with possible child molester, mb you do because you dont know what happened. Pick a position and go with it. If in any way uncomfortable, dont work with him. But to be fair, she has nothing to do with allens possible transgressions. Its a sticky wicket all the way around. That wld be the scruple part, deciding what u r comfortable with.

auntliddy said...

Wld live to hear from him!! But even if 2 out of 14 children are estranged from mia, still pretty good overall.

auntliddy said...

Msgirl, of course he passed! He is an adultlt and more importantly, HE DOESNT THINK HE DID ANYTHING WRONG!! I remember reading sll this when story broke and wondered why a 2 yr old was in therapy(ronin). The therapists testimony pretty much said he didnt know how to parent and she was ditzy too. She was just a little girl, scared and nervous-of course she cldnt pass. And i believe the chronolgy was mis found naked pictures of Soon ye, and flipped out, like any mother would. They were on the fireplace so allen wasnt really huding them. Allen said this is goid for her, gives her confidence!!!!!! Soon yi leaves to live with woody. Mia wanted her daughter back, she really didnt want woody back. Then Dylan tells her mother what hapoened in attic. As any mother wld be Mia was livid. She wasnt vindictively planting a story of abuse to get Allen back !! She was done with him! Soon yi was troubled when adopted. In her culture, moving up to big house and powerful man were huge plusses for her status. Then they get married, she makes him live in france half the time, not his beloved NYC, they buy a couple of kids snd boom, they are a family. Soon yi was an orphan in vietnam, she had to be tough.

msgirl said...

aunt kiddy - yeah, I'm just saying I don't know, and the Soon Yi stuff is pretty weird, I'll admit that.

msgirl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
TLP said...

All those who are saying that victims should keep their suffering to themselves are part of the culture of shame and silence that allows these predators to operate.

Rose said...

No matter what WA's relationship was to Soon Yi I don't think it's ever appropriate to be your own children's Dad and Brother in Law. She is there sister and that should have made her off limits in the first place.

Alexa Rose said...

You know what I find to be really creepy? The pictures I have seen of Woody and his 2 adopted daughters with Soon Yi. Gave off a very bad vibe.

I feel badly for all of the Previn/Allen/Farrow children, there were some majorly strange things in their childhood's.

Also, I don't have much respect for Mia if she supports Polanski. He is a convicted rapist and yet she supports him. WTF?

Unknown said...

Poignantly stated. Enough said.

Lizzie said...

Angela, Insinuating that he "wouldn't" sexually assault a child because there were nannies in the house, and other people,show me you don't have a clue how abuse happens. There are many many many stories of children being raped with people near by. In one case, a child went into a McDonalds bathroom, while his parents ordered...on video the little boy is shown skipping off to the bathroom, and a few minutes later running out holding his bottom crying. The perpetrator came out after him, and walk right out of the restaurant. ..... It can easily happen in a blink of an eye. Please educate yourself before defending what may very well be a monster!

Aoife said...

Allen apologists position seems to be that it can't have happened because Mia is a slut. That is their whole argument. Some of them bring up the fact that Dylan (The name she uses today was revealed by an Allen apologist so I won't use it) was adopted as if that's an excuse. And don't get me started about the Soon-yi situation. It was wrong, is wrong, and no matter how long he's been with her at some point she is going to have to deal with what happened between her and an adult male who was in a relationship with her mother.

BTW is that her leaving the Knicks game with him?

Tyler said...

@TLP, that's not what people are saying at all. The culture of shame and silence that allows predators to operate doesn't apply here. There was no cloak of silence - the story of the abuse that allegedly happened to Dylan at Woody's hands has been public knowledge for decades. The police investigated and didn't have enough evidence to pursue charges.

I think what's at the core of most people's objections to Dylan's letter is the deliberate damage she's attempting to inflict on innocent others in the movie industry in carrying out her campaign to damage Woody. In treating them as necessary collateral damage, she's being completely selfish and abusive herself.

It's been 21 years now, high time to enter therapy and stay there until she learns to let go of the past, and her bitterness with it.

Dantheman said...

Woody Allen had an affair with the under age daughter of his long term girlfriend- that is horrific, many men have been put in prison for alot less and you guys have been nasty for alot less on this site.
As no one knows the truth about what happened with his daughter we can't really comment but who his wife is now is fact- that actually happened and I can't believe the people above are almost trying to justify it!!!
Cate shouldn't have done that film because Woody married the underage step daughter of his girlfriend- you'd think that would be enough.

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